December Birthstone

There are two choices for birthstones for December babies: blue topaz or turquoise. I lean towards turquoise for my daughter, but we'll see what she picks for herself when she gets older.

Topaz is a silicate mineral, and a very hard stone, having a hardness of 8 on the Mohs hardness scale. It can still be split by a hard blow, however, so care must be taken while wearing this stone.

Sterling Silver Ring Bezel Set London Blue Topaz, by Jewelry24Seven:



Naturally occurring blue topaz is quite rare. Usually grey or yellow turquoise is irradiated to produce a deep blue color.

Sky Blue Topaz Wire Wrapped Oxidized Necklace, by SilverSmack:



Topaz is also the suggested anniversary gemstone for the 4th, 19th and 23rd years of marriage!

Baby Stella Blue Topaz, December birthstone, sterling silver star necklace, by metalicious:



Turquoise got its name because it was first brought to Europe from Turkey in the 16th century. It was cherished in ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian cultures, but is most known for its usage by Native Americans in the Southwestern USA and in Central America.

Turquoise and Rice Pearls Necklace on Sterling Silver, by dbvictoria:



Turquoise ranges in color between many shades of blue and green, with even some yellow shades to be found. Blue shades are caused by the presence of copper, green hues occur if the turquoise forms in areas where there is a high aluminum content, and the yellow shades occur rarely in deposits with zinc.

Turquoise Teardrop Earrings on Marquis Shaped Sterling Silver Earwires, by NightSkyJewelry:



Turquoise is a relatively soft stone, so care should be taken not to scratch or chip your turquoise jewelry. It is only ranked at 5-6 on the Mohs scale. Sometimes softer stones are stabilized with an infusion of epoxy resin, which preserves the stone from wear. Natural stones acquire a patina or luster from the oils in the wearer's skin, to which stabilized stones are immune.

December Birthstone Necklace - Turquoise with Coral & Sterling Silver, by RoughMagicCreations:



Whichever stone your December baby prefers, there are a multitude of choices available for him or her!



~

A year in the making, day 364

The munchkin got a lesson today in Caveat emptor today. We went to the thrift store this morning to get her a couple of new pairs of pants as most of her current pairs are halfway up her shins, the little beanpole. We were in the checkout line and she found a treasure she HAD to have - a Barbie digital watch. She begged and pleaded, and agreed to repay me out of her bank when we got home, so I let her buy it. We got it home, opened it up, and were trying to figure out how to turn the watch on. Turns out that they were donated because the battery had died before whatever store that was carrying these had sold them. Doh!

This afternoon I started re-tagging a lot of my older stock in preparation for this weekend's event, as the original tags were looking a little the worse for wear, and of course, I'm also double checking to make sure all my newer pieces were tagged as well and guess what? I found two necklaces that weren't tagged because I'd not only never listed them, but apparently never photographed them either! Who knows where these fit in now, as I made them some months ago. But here they are now, just under the wire:

Butterfly Necklace with Caramel Swarovski Crystals



Turquoise and Rice Pearls Necklace



And one more pair of earrings, to replace a pair I sold last week:

Green Garnet Dangle Earrings